Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-02-19
WHALE HUNTING.
HUNDREDS OF MONSTERS KILLED
BY HARDY ISLANDERS.
Graphic Account of the Great Battle
Upon the Seas-The Division
of the Spells.

The 18th of November was the red-letter
day of the year on Suderoe, the southern
most island of this bleak group, just as
July Dist was in 1885. writes correspond
ent from the Farce Islands to the New
York Mail and Express. On November 18TH
a flock of grind whales was sighted OF
Vaag, on the almost inaccessible west coast
of the island. The solitary fishing smack
that sighted the flock made all haste to
signal the important discovery to the in
habitants of the little settlement of Tamien
by the usual expedient of hosting pair OF
trousers or an oilskin coat at masthead,
and the signal was no sooner observed
ashore than fires were lighted on the hill
tops, and runners went from bygd to
"bygd, spreading the news and summon
ing the population to the shore. Leaving
ali other cares and concerns, they obeyed
to a man, or a woman, for that matter, and
made for the little bay at Tamien, where,
if thew did not escape, the grind would be
driven ashore. The one word grind has
power at any time to cause a break on the
Farce Islands; more than once, coming on
a Sunday during church service, it has
broken up the meeting in general rush
headed by the parson, for the water; and
no wonder, for the parish priests share OF
a grind catch may, if it is good one, easily
reach and even exceed $500, a sum not to
be made every day up here in the shadow
of the North Pole.
But in this case the extra danger that the
grind would escape, the bay at Tamien be-
ing VIGOROUSLY the poorest grind place "
on the island, lent additional speed to the
rush, and nearly one-half of the 2,4G0 per-
sons on the island-men, women and chill
dren-were soon en- route for the settle
ment. Eighteen boats had come by sea,
hardly corporal's guard, to contend with
a big school OF frightened whales, and lay
in a wide half-circle outside of the foes as
a barrier between it and the open sea, wait
ing for reinforcements. But the evening
shades were falling and none were in sight.
1t was determined to risk an attack rather
then take chances on having the school es-
cape under cover of the darkness. The
sysselmand or bailif of the "bygd" having
inspected the boats and ascertained that
each had its full armament OF whale har-
poems, strong two edged knives fixed on
foot sticks, the signal was given and the
start made amid general anxiety on shore,
where an ever-increasing throng, armed
with knives, were waiting to take part in
the slaughter.
Probably no reader of New York news
paper ever witnessed a "grindedral, !. e.,
grind killing Indeed, it would be strange
If any of them had, for the Farce Islands
are apparently the only places favored with
the periodical visits of these monstrous
ocean travellers, or where the people know
enough to take advantage of their calls.
The grind whale pronounced grim attains
a length of fully fifty feet. 1t is social
creature and never travels alone, like It's
still larger brethren, but is found in schools
of from a hundred to several thousand.
Yet these are believed to be merely stray
parties detached from the main body that
is supposed to range the ocean within the
Arctic circle Be this as it may, upon these
visits, that are too often, like angels visits,
few and far between, depend the few COM
forts the Farce islander enjoys-in seasons
of poor barley and potato crop, even life
itself. A good grind catch assures the
islanders of plenty of meat for the long,
dark winter Grind meat, though coarse to
the palate brought up on porter-house
steak and Southdown mutton, is royal
treat to hungry native of these high re-
gions, and, sailed down, will keep as long
as there is any left The oil will keep the
Earrings lamp lighted in the long even.
ings when fog and storm rule tae sea
what is left to sell will buy him clothes to
keep him warm, and bright 'kerchief or
ribbon at the Government stores for the
women to smarter up with. The head
alone of a full-grown grind yields from
fifty to eighty quarts of oil, worth from S.
to IS at the stores.
Hence, no wonder that the message that
grind has been sighted turns the fortunate
island upside down, and sets everything
that has legs to run with piling for the
shore. AS many boats as are handy or can
be drummed up within distance of ten or
twelve miles are sent around by water to
Join in the attack, for the battle with the
whales is essentially naval engagement.
They form in a half circle outside the
school, after driving it toward the mouth
of the nearest convenient bay or Wig"
and starting simultaneously toward the
shore, chase the whales before them with
loud yells and smashing of stones that
form chief part of the armament of all
Faro fishing smacks liable to meet with
grind. The timid monsters run about,
vainly seeking escape through the land,
and finally ground in shallow water or rush
in their distress through the breakers clear
up on the beach, where the rest of the pop
ulation wait for them with their murder
Gus two-e edged knives.
The school at Tamien proved TO en-
brace nearly three hundred whales, of
which a score or more made their escape
through an unguarded point in the open
line of boats, and put for the deep. The
rest of the school was about following,
like flock of sheep led by the bell-wether,
but at the critical moment well-directed
stone hit the ugly black snout of the for
ward one and made it turn toward land in
great haste. From that moment the battle
was decided An hour later the waters in
the little Wig were dyed red with the blood
of the mighty beasts. Once aground in
shallow water the whales gave up all
other resistance than to aimlessly thrash
the sea with their tails. The islanders
kept completely out of the way of the
powerful fms. Rushing into the breakers
shoulder deep. those on shore joined their
friends in the boats in the wild carnival of
murder. Slashing the struggling captives
over the neck, just back of the head, with
their keen-edged knives, they cut them to
the backbone and left them to bleed to
death. The struggling, surging, madly-
shouting mass in the sea formed a singular
picture in the sunset.
As the dying agony of one whale after
another ceased and the monsters rolled
ifeless in the water, rescuing parties from
the beach drove stout iron hooks into the
eyes of the dead and hauled them up on
the shore out of reach of the tide, where
the body was left lying till the next day,
when the division could take place. When
all had been landed it was within an hour
of midnight, and the exhausted islanders
had worked since early in the afternoon,
for greater part of the time in water and
blood up to their necks. But 268 big
IL l.. 1.
catch than Suderoe had seen for more than
two years, and no one fe.t too tired to join
in the dance that followed with copious
potations of schnaps and no end of merri-
ment The fortunate bygd where
grind killing takes place is under legal and